Orzo with Feta, Mint & Plum Tomatoes, Stout-braised Vegetables, Strawberry Yogurt Brulées

Last night I created an orzo dish with feta, mint & plum tomatoes served with stout-braised vegetables and strawberry yogurt brulées for dessert.


I think this is one of the first meals I have created, however, that I have been largely dissatisfied with which is mainly due to the clash of the main course. Feta pasta served alongside vegetables and gravy! What was I thinking? Also, in adjusting the recipe for 6 people, I used too much lemon juice for the Orzo dish so rather than make a subtle zing against the zang of the feta, it proved to be overwhelming. Still, at least the dessert was tasty and a lesson has been learnt.
Here's the recipe without readjustments!

Orzo with feta, mint & plm tomatoes [serves 4]

Ingredients

225g orzo pasta
50ml olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tbsp of mint, finely chopped
200g feta cheese, diced
4 plum tomatoes, finely diced
100g black olives
sun-dried tomatoes to garnish

Method

Cook the orzo in salted water until al dente, then drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again thoroughly.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, season well and serve garnished with mint and sun-dried tomatoes.


Stout-braised vegetables [serves 4]

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
350g small onions, blanched and peeled
4 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch batons
2 garlic cloves
175g young carrots, scraped
150ml stout
100ml tomato juice
200ml vegetable stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add onions and celery and fry until golden, around 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes then add the carrots. Add the stout, tomato juice, vegetable stock and sugar and bring to the boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Strawberry Yogurt Brulées [serves 6]

Ingredients

500g strawberries
juice of 1 orange
500g natural yogurt
100g caster sugar

Method

Slice the strawberries and divide between 6 dishes. Sprinkle over the orange juice and spoon over the orange and chill in the fridge. Tip the sugar into a small pan with two tablespoons of water and heat gently until dissolved. Boil the mixture until it turns caramel in texture and remove from the heat and place the pan in a sink of cold water. When the bubbles subside pour over each dessert and leave for 10 minutes in the fridge before serving.